Gang-rape ‘victim’ does U-turn, claims she was not abducted

THE POLICE FROM MEERUT’S KHARKHAUDA DISTRICT PRODUCED THE WOMAN BEFORE A CITY MAGISTRATE, WHO RECORDED STATEMENT

MEERUT: In a twist to the alleged gang rape and forced conversion case of a 22-year-old teacher that made nationwide headlines in August, the woman who made the allegations ran away from home on Sunday and told the police that her family forced her to make those claims while alleging a threat to her life from them.

The police from Meerut’s Kharkhauda district produced the woman before a city magistrate, who recorded her statement and sent her to a shelter for women.

“The girl has expressed a threat to her life from her family members and has been shifted to a shelter home in compliance with the magistrate’s order,” said Omkar Singh, SSP, Meerut, who has directed the police to examine the charges she has levelled against her family.

In early August, the woman, a teacher in a local madrasa, alleged that she was gang raped by Muslim youth and forced to convert to Islam. She has now denied this in her statement.

At the time, Hindu groups formed a Sangharsh Samiti to expose what they referred to as ‘love jihad’ in the Meerut region. With Assembly bypolls in UP in September, political parties were quick to exploit the issue with BJP MP Yogi Adityanath launching a campaign against ‘love jihad’.

After an initial investigation, the police denied forced conversion and rape but arrested 10 people, including one Kaleem, 26, a resident of the woman’s village. He is still in jail.

The police also said the woman had been admitted to Meerut’s Medical College Hospital in July where she had identified herself as Kaleem’s wife and was operated upon for an ectopic pregnancy.

Reacting to Sunday’s developments, Anuj Tyagi of the Hindu Jagran Manch has demanded a CBI probe. The ruling Samajwadi Party, however, slammed the BJP for raking up a non-issue.